Skype Video Messages roll out, will hit Windows in April
The feature lets you send clips of up to three minutes long to a Skype contact.
If you want to reach someone but they're not online, then a new Skype feature could come in handy. It lets you send a video message to your contacts, so they'll see it when they next log on.
It's only in beta at the moment, so there may well be bugs, but Skype has rolled it out in a few countries so far, with the UK among them (hurrah!). Though Microsoft (which owns Skype) has made one rather large omission…
The feature is part of the latest version of Skype -- I had to upgrade to get it -- and will work on Skype for Mac, Android and iOS. But not Windows. That's right, Microsoft has left out its own operating system. Anyone using Skype on Windows will be able to view the messages by clicking a link, but they won't be able to send them.
Skype has confirmed to The Verge that the feature will hit Microsoft's desktop OS by the end of April though.
Video messages can be up to three minutes in length, but you'd better have something really worth saying to expect to hold someone's attention for that long. Each user gets 20 free messages, then to continue using the feature you'll have to sign up to Skype Premium, which costs £3.44 a month.
We've known about the feature for a while, as it was revealed in an update to Skype's terms of service last year, but this is the first time you've been able to try it out for yourself. It's a bit of a bummer if you're using Windows. I'd say Microsoft dropped a bit of a clanger with this one.
What do you think of the feature? And what about Windows being left out? Let me know in the comments, or on Facebook.